Court halts $400 million White House ballroom construction

A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House, ruling the president lacks the authority to build the addition without congressional approval. The decision, issued on August 7, 2026, by a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, deals a significant legal setback to the president's plan to replace the demolished East Wing with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

In a 2-1 ruling, the court upheld a preliminary injunction secured by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued the administration last year. The majority opinion stated that Congress holds full constitutional control over federal property and has not granted the executive branch the power to unilaterally redesign the White House. "Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence," the judges wrote. They noted they were aware of no historical precedent for a president using privately collected funds to demolish substantial portions of the taxpayer-funded residence.

The court has placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the administration...